When you think of what makes up a classroom, you may think of desks, pens, blackboards, whiteboards, maybe even SMART boards. But spend an hour at the architecture firm of Perkins + Will, and it’s clear that there’s much more to a classroom than the furniture.

Over 80 years ago, Larry Perkins and Phil Will designed their first school: Crow Island Elementary School. The award-winning architecture pioneered many of the design elements we see in schools today, including: the L-shaped classroom, breakout spaces, and areas to support project-based learning.

Today, 750,000 people enter a Perkins + Will-designed school every year.

So, how does a firm with such an influential past design schools that are prepared for the future? To find out, we met with Brooke Trivas and David Damon of Perkins + Will.

Listen to the full interview to learn more about the future of school design: